Masonry As A Factor In Every-Day Life.

I am , however , pleased to have the opportunity to defend this great body from the aspersions to which it is subjected occasionally , owing to the fact that many Masons do not live up to their professions , and thereby frequently give cause to the enemy to blaspheme . Masonry , like all other

organizations which have to depend for their continuance on poor , weak humanity , suffers too often in the house of its friends . Like Christianity , it is all right in itself , but has to bear the odium of sheltering within its bosom many an unworthy son , who is shameless himself , and hesitates not to cast upon his foster-mother the burden of his own disgrace .

No one at the present day ventures to question the purity and the nobility and the beneficent influence of true Christianity . Jew and Gentile alike , even when one or the other cannot find his way clear to accept the tenets of that faith , nevertheless , both are willing to agree that its teachings are good

and its morality sublime . The old heathens , when they saw that their own faiths were giving way before the sure and steady advance of Christianity , found that the only chance they had to counteract its influence was by levelling up the morality of paganism till it could approach that of the new creed .

But , as time went on , and the world came gradually to accept , as a matter of course , the existence of this additional mode of worshipping the gods—when persecution had ceased , and Christianity was one of the relig iones licitae—then men and women , undeterred by fears of persecution from making an open confession of their faith , flocked in crowds to the Church , and the Institution became thronged with members , good , bad , and indifferent , so that it was often impossible to determine from a man ' s conduct , whether he were a Christian or a pagan ; in fact , the pagan was

often the better man of the two . Now what has taken place in the Church has had its parallel in Masonry . Here you see a body of men joined together in the closest ties , admitted only after the most careful scrutiny into their character , bound by the most indelible oaths to the purest lives and the most irreproachable conduct . That is the ideal . We members of the Craft are pledged to allow no

unworthy man to gain entrance into the lodge ; every possible precaution exists in- the rules and regulations of the Order to keep out those whose presence would bring only dishonour , but like the rest of humanity , we are fallible , and the most unexceptionable candidate may turn out to be a black sheep . And if such is the case in lodges , where the officers and members are governed by the highest sense of honour and deepest conviction of their

responsibility to the great Masonic Fraternity throughout the world , what shall be said as to the lodges where the officers and brethren happen to be actuated only by a desire to make a big show in membership , without regard to the character of those whom they introduce into the brotherhood ? And for this , men , and especially women , condemn the whole Institution , and its individual adherents indiscriminately . We have gotten over the folly of

judging every other body by its unworthy representatives , but it has been reserved for the enlightened nineteenth century to find fault with this magnificent Society , on account of the Masons " for revenue only . " That used to be the case with Christianity . Not so very long ago it was feared that the ancient and honourable rite of matrimony would fall into " innocuous desuetude , " because some of its advocates seemed not to be walking a

chalk mark , and we were treated to some harmless , if not amusing disquisitions on the question , " Is marriage a failure ? " Now , I advise all our non-Masonic friends not to try to prove that Masonry is a failure , because those who have run counter to other time-honoured institutions have found that they might have just as well tried to break down a stone wall ; and if an attack would be fruitless , the answer to the question " Is Masonry a failure ? " would be equally unsatisfactory .

If we admit that Masonry is not to be held accountable for those who have been unworthy members , part of my task has been accomplished . It remains for me to construct a picture of what a true Mason can be . And here my enthusiasm is apt to run away with my judgment , for the ideal which the teachings of Freemasonry propose to a man is so high that I often feel as if every one must have been impressed with them as I have been .

A true Mason—what a vision looms up before us \ An honest man . A man who makes the measure of his dealings with his fellows to depend on their understanding of the terms of a trade . A man who does not sell a thing for more than it is worth , nor try to buy it for less than its value . A man who nev ; r tries to get a newspaper to puff his business for nothing ; to write editorial commendations of him , for which he agrees to pay at advertising

rates . A man who does not fill his sugar with sand , nor his vinegar with water . A man who does not mark his goods 100 per cent , higher and then advertise them as marked down 50 per cent , to reduce stock , A man who does not buy on commission at one price , and report to his customer that he had bought at another , justifying himself on the plea that " commissions are so small now-a-days , you know , that we have to make an honest living , some way or other . " But there are plenty men who are honest enough , but

bless your soul how exceedingly unpleasant they are to deal with ; a porcupine could not be a more unsatisfactory neighbour . But the true Mason cannot be an ill-natured man . A true Mason cannot be an impolite man . A true Mason cannot be an unsympathising man . A true _ Mason cannot be hard-hearted . When you find one guilty of these faults , be sure that man's Masonry has some raison d ' etre besides desire for the benefiting of his fellows .

But , again , what does this great Order say as to our tongues ? A man may be honest , and he may be good-natured , but yet there may be something wrong about his mouth . Yet my reading of the precepts of Masonry makes me feel that a man must be very wary in the use of speech , if he proposes to keep his vows in spirit as well as in letter . There are some people who impress you as very sincere , yet when they talk , you are left

with the feeling that you have been eating something that was not very good ; there is a bad taste in your mouth that you can hardly account for ; you do not quite realise how it happened to get there ; but after a while you begin to recall what was said by your friend about some neighbour , and suddenly it occurs to you that the bad taste comes from the insinuating

remarks about others , which spiced the conversation . No good Mason will be guilty of doing that . A good Mason cannot slander his brother Mason or even a Profane . And last of all , a good Mason must think precious little of himself . In very deed , if he is trying to keep his vows , he has no time to think about himself . A Mason ' s duty to his fellow-man is as great as the greatest man can perform . It would not matter if 1 man had the whole 24 hours of the day , and the whole seven days of the week , and all the 52

Masonry As A Factor In Every-Day Life.

weeks in the year to devote to fulfilling his duty to humanity ; he still would , have to say mea culpa . Masonry does not lay down a hard and fast rule and say this much must be done , and if you do it you will have complied with your Masonic obligations , but it asserts great principles , and say to a man , if you have only time to do a little , consistent with the duties of the

state of life in which you are placed , do that little gladly ; but , on the other hand , if your opportunities are many , and you can do very much more than your brother Mason , you dare not rest content with the measure of work which suits his case , but you must grow into the stature of a man who can take up the wonderful chances thrown in your way , and prove yourself able to cope with the magnificent possibilities which are opened out to you .

The old song says " A women ' s work is never done . " But let me tell you , good people , a Mason ' s work is never done , if he is a simon-pure product of the Order . I know a good many Masons think that work consists in conferring Degrees , and that the lodge that confers the most Degrees or rather which has the greatest number of Master Masons made every year , is the best working lodge , but that is a very poor conception of

Masonry . Tell me what good deeds have been done by a lodge in the course of a year , and I can tell whether that lodge is doing true Masonic work . How many widows have been relieved from dire distress , how many orphans have been placed where they will be brought up to be good men and women , how many quarrels between brethren have been settled , how

many unselfish deeds have been done without hope of reward , how many sick beds have been visited , how often has a brother sacrificed his own ambition to the interest of another brother ? Let these questions be honestly answered , and you will have a standard by which to judge the Masonic work of any lodge in the world .

I know that this will surprise many who have formed entirely different ideas as to what constitutes our work , but the older Masons here will confirm what I say . It is not the Craft , but the men who misrepresent the Craft , from whom have arisen the modern ideas about the Order . There are men who go into a lodge led by curiosity ; what is the use of denying it ? There are men who use Masonry for self aggrandisement ; what is the use of

contradicting that fact ? There are men who , in order to have an excuse for not spending a night at home , join evertbing calling itself Masonic that comes along . There are men who proless the utmost devotion to their brother Masons , and yet leave their families , in defiance of their oaths , to want for everything , while they are having a love-feast with the lodge . These are no true Masons . They do not remember their obligation . There

are men the whole world over who do not know what keeping an obligation means . But those men do not represent Masonry ; they ma } ' stand for their lodge , but they cannot stand for the fraternity at large . Masonry stands for the brotherhood of man ; it stands for the equality of all men , rich and poor , high and low , wise and foolish . Masonry makes no distinctions on account of worldly conditions . Masonry claims for every

man freedom of speech , thought , and action . Masonry combats every attempt of king-craft , priest-craft , and state-craft to enthrall men's souls and bodies . It demands protection for the unfortunate , the homeless , the fatherless , the bereaved in every walk of life . Show me any other institution , short of the two great religions of the world , which does as much . I believe that to Masonry the religion I profess owes a great deal in the way

of assistance for its work . If every member of the Church were also a member of a Masonic lodge , I believe he would be helped in his efforts to do his Christian duty . And I furthermore believe that his presence and influence in the lodge would help to bring the truths of the Church more forcibly home to men than all the preaching in Christendom could do . I do not hesitate to say that the evening spent in a lodge of good Masons ,

properly conducted , is one of the most inspiring experiences in the world , I say , therefore , to the Masons before me to-night , make up your minds now that your Masonic professions shall be real , genuine , and honest . Do not let your lodge become an excuse for every longing you may have to get away from some other duty more important at the time . 1 would say to the wives and sweethearts , were they here , " If your

husband or your lover belongs to a lodge , see that he does his duty as a member of it , carefully , punctually , and cheerfully ; he it' /// do it , if you do not stand in his way . And , what ' s more , if he is not a Mason , I would advise you to suggest to him to be one , that is , if you think he would ben good one , and if you do not think so , I am sorry for you , if he is your husband ; and if he is your sweetheart , I would recommend that you dismiss him and find a better one . "

Finally , I think that we may congratulate the city of Richmond and the Masonic fraternity generally , that there is such a representative body of the Craft in the world as this jurisdiction can boast of . To show you how well the brethren here conduct themselves , and how completely they fulfil the command , " Let not your good be evil spoken of , " it is only neccessary for me to say that this is almost the only jurisdiction I have ever been in , where

I have never heard the ladies complain of the Order . If that does not prove that the men here are living up to their vows , 1 do not know what would . Let this old State go on in the good work ; let these celebrations serve to show how much we brethren love one another ; let them continue forever , that the Masons of the various lodges may be brought into closer touch . Let the people see that we are no plotters against the harmony ot

the home , the party , the State , or the Church . Let us be glad to exhibit to the world the spectacle of a band ol brethren who have no jealousies , no private ambitions , no ulterior motives . We have our secrets ; what of it ^ Did not the early Church exist as a secret society , to the utter disgust of the horrible old heathen emperors ? But who came out ahead in the long run So , if people complain that wc have secrets , let them say what harm th °

secrets seem to be doing in the world . It will be time enough to talk auou the wrong ol secrecy when it can be proved that secrecy is an evil . J ^ '' secrecy seems to be doing a great deal to build up our characters , wclcorn it as a means to an end , if for nothing else . Live for all the world . Masonry does not limit your sympathies to ¦ sect or society ; it commands you to have the feeling of brotherly love

every one ; do not forget it , my brethren ; do not become narrow . \ ° , lodge is nothing , your Masonry is everything . Your lodge may P ^ ' your vows will endure for ever . By whatever name it may be known , un whatever forms it may appear , through whatever transformations it "' £ pass in the future , the principles of this great institution are eternal . is j-..-..- ... tllv , iiimiv , | lii »_ J . / I tlH-llJli _ J v / l LIIU gl \ . UL IIIOLItUl IWII ( in- \ , t — •¦ - .

everlasting hills , and will find their resting-place in the heart of ma > | . matter where he may be , no matter what new phases civilisation ma ) ' ' . ^ on . It is founded on a rock , and so long as man is what he is > |[ S Fraternity will be with him . Then see to it that your contribution t ^ history is such that your descendants to the remotest times may hear ) ^ name spoken with honour , and your memory revered by every brotn the mystic tie . —Rev . R . P . WILLIAMS in The Rough Ashlar .